Hail To Pop! The State Of Pop In 2011

The state of pop in 2011 was strong. Very strong. Ruled by exciting newcomers, chart-topping females and the occasional party rock stomper, pop did in 2011 what it does best: It evolved and morphed itself into a leading genre of music that took its cues from myriad different styles and genres, making it a true reflection of what music lovers were captivated by last year.

Once again the shuffle-happy playlist generation set the tone for 2011 and encouraged pop makers to daringly mix and mash up genres to fit their changing taste. As a result, one of the biggest trends in 2011 was the emerging influence of dance/electronica music on the pop scene.

For years, dance has been a massive influence in Europe, but this year dance music completely, utterly and convincingly broke into the American mainstream with artists such as LMFAO and David Guetta ruling the charts. Even the unstoppable and universally adored pop princess Rihanna embraced dance music by collaborating with club hero Calvin Harris on the fan-favorite "We Found Love."

With economic worries lingering for many in 2011, music fans turned to pop music for hope and comfort. GRAMMY-nominated artists, including Adele and Bruno Mars in particular, provided simple yet powerful ballads that gave fans a moment to escape and connect with people close to them.

Mars' rise to fame is a true success story. I remember covering Mars when he was writing songs for other artists, putting out demo tapes in Los Angeles and playing small gigs in small venues across California in exchange for a few dollars and free pizza.

But times have changed for the young crooner. Together with his pals the Smeezingtons — Philip Lawrence and Ari Levine — the GRAMMY-nominated artist now has fans at his feet with tunes about falling in love, catching grenades and lazy mornings in his jammies. Mars' success demonstrates that in times when bombastic pop productions tend to take up a lot of space, poignant storytelling and sweet melodies can go a very long way.

Katy Perry continued her winning streak in 2011, celebrating more No. 1s, but it was not just Perry who had an incredible year. In fact, 2011 was once again the year for female artists such as Lady Gaga, Ke$ha, Britney Spears, and Rihanna, who all released new music and packed arenas on tour. Beyoncé pushed her artistic boundaries with 4, which featured pop-forward production work with the help of an all-star team featuring current GRAMMY nominees Jeff Bhasker and Ryan Tedder.

One of the most pleasant surprises of the year was Maroon 5's resurgence, with help from pal Christina Aguilera. Together with savvy songwriter/producer Benny Blanco they recorded the pop-perfect "Moves Like Jagger," an instantly catchy tune that took over radio this summer.

The interest in dance music, the prominence of timeless pop singers/songwriters and the continued success of the pop's females will likely continue in 2012. However, I would not be surprised if we see a new, young generation of pop stars emerge this year, making 2012 a year in pop to watch, enjoy and support.

Hail to 2012! Hail to pop!

News

Meet The GRAMMY.com Community Bloggers

A group of 10 online music junkies to provide exclusive coverage in their respective GRAMMY Fields leading up to Music's Biggest Night

GRAMMYs

Jun 21, 2017 - 12:57 am

GRAMMY.com

In 2009, in conjunction with the 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards, The Recording Academy launched the GRAMMY.com Community Blogger program in an effort to bring music fans closer to the excitement of the GRAMMY Awards. Now in its fourth year, in conjunction with the upcoming 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards, the program will feature a collective of music bloggers spanning 10 GRAMMY Fields.

Beginning today, the community bloggers will provide five blog installments each, including a retrospective on the year in music in their respective fields and their reactions to the 55th GRAMMY nominees following "The GRAMMY Nominations Concert Live!! — Countdown To Music's Biggest Night" on Dec. 5, and the winners after they're announced on Feb. 10, 2013. During GRAMMY Week in February, each blogger will be given unprecedented access to official GRAMMY Week events, providing followers with exclusive accounts previously unavailable to GRAMMY fans.

From the red carpet to the GRAMMY stage, this group of genre experts will share colorful insights and unique perspectives you won't want to miss.

GRAMMY.com Community Bloggers

Representing the Dance/Electronica Field is Brent Burns of KickKickSnare.com. Aside from his live concert coverage and new music reviews, Burns has conducted interviews with artists such as V.V. Brown, Oh Land and Grace Potter, among others. He is also a regular contributor to The Set List on GRAMMY.com. You can follow him on Twitter @KickKickSnare.

Kimberly Hines represents the R&B Field. Nicknamed "Butta," Hines is active on the music scene in the Washington, D.C., area and is editor-in-chief for SoulBounce.com, an award-winning website that recognizes, respects and represents the past, present and future of soul music. You can follow her on Twitter @SoulBounce.

Covering the Rap Field is Dantrel Robinson, aka Fave. With experience in radio, marketing and media production, Robinson hosts Friday Favecast, a podcast providing the "best soul, electronica and progressive hip-hop in the world." You can follow him on Twitter @Fave.

In the Rock Field is Los Angeles-based Jamie Harvey. Harvey is the proprietor of HardRockChick.com where she documents her concert experiences. She has attended more than 500 shows since 2007. Harvey is also a frequent contributor to The Set List on GRAMMY.com. You can follow her on Twitter @HardRockChick.

Heading up the Country Field is Erin Lefebvre of ShesABigStar.com. As a country music fan, Lefebvre is "so excited" that "The GRAMMY Nominations Concert Live!!" will be hosted in Nashville this year. You can follow her on Twitter @shesabigstar.

In the Jazz Field is Donna Mercer, who is the editor and lead blogger for ElementsOfJazz.com where she enjoys exploring new music in the "vibrant, sexy world of jazz." You can follow her on Twitter @ElementsOfJazz.

In the Gospel/Contemporary Christian Music Field is Will Dawson of DawsonInk.com. Dawson loves Sunday mornings and considers himself an "iPod-ist" and music enthusiast. You can follow him on Twitter @dawsonink.

Representing the American Roots Field is Texas native Baron Lane, who writes and lectures about country and Americana music and has operated TwangNation.com since 2007. You can follow him on Twitter @TwangNation.

In the Classical Field is Linda Kernohan, aka Miss Music Nerd will cover the Classical Field. A composer, pianist and music educator, Kernohan collects her classical music thoughts at MissMusicNerd.com. You can follow her on Twitter @MissMusicNerd.

Covering the Pop Field is Arjan Timmermans. Timmermans is an ambassador of pop who has been writing his ArjanWrites.com music blog since 2002 tipping music fans far and wide about exciting new pop music. He's also a CNN on-air music contributor and the host of ARTIST#TALK, a live interview series that recently featured Flo Rida and Ellie Goulding. He's also a regular contributor to The Set List on GRAMMY.com. You can follow him on Twitter @ArjanWrites.

Stay tuned to GRAMMY.com where you will find each blogger's coverage of the events leading up to Music's Biggest Night, and more.

The road to Music's Biggest Night begins with "The GRAMMY Nominations Concert Live!!," which takes place live for the first time ever at Bridgestone Arenain Nashville on Wednesday, Dec. 5, andwill be broadcast in HDTV and 5.1 surround sound on the CBS Television Network from 10–11 p.m. ET/PT (9 p.m. Central) — and culminates with the 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards, live from Staples Center in Los Angeles on Sunday, Feb. 10, 2013, and broadcast on CBS at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

For updates and breaking news, please visit The Recording Academy's social networks on Twitter and Facebook.

Jazzy Competition

After the high-flying round of jazz nominations for the 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards, we find the current batch of Jazz Field nominees to be mostly cozy and familiar.

Veteran jazz musicians such as trumpeter Randy Brecker, bassist Ron Carter, pianists Fred Hersch and Chick Corea, and Kennedy Center Honors Award recipient saxophonist Sonny Rollins are vying for the Best Improvised Jazz Solo GRAMMY. This category has been dominated by trumpeters, saxophonists and pianists since it was first awarded back in 1959. I totally agree with what one of my followers (@davidgolden99) tweeted:

"It's not every year a bass solo gets a #GRAMMY nomination. Congrats to Ron Carter."

The competition for Best Jazz Vocal Album this year is an interesting mix, including a drummer. Three Concord Jazz artists — Karrin Allyson, 2009 GRAMMY winner Kurt Elling and Terri Lyne Carrington — are up against BFM Jazz's Tierney Sutton and Motema Music's Roseanna Vitro. This category created some buzz within the online community:

"You post some of my favorite tweets & although I disagree with some of the nominees, I'm glad The Mosaic Project made it!" (@EighteenAprils)

"I'm a Kurt Elling fan so we'll see! All great artists." (@janellemusic1)

The last GRAMMY up for grabs in the Jazz Field is Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album. Similar to last year, this category will be a tough choice. The well-received Alma Adentro: The Puerto Rican Songbook by Miguel Zenon has stiff competition from the Christian McBride Big Band's The Good Feeling, Randy Brecker With DR Big Band's The Jazz Ballard Song Book, Arturo O'Farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra's 40 Acres And A Burro.

It started with a chest at my grandmother's house that was full of incredible clothes and a 6-year-old me wanting to make a statement. Even though they took 20 more years to fit into, these clothes were somehow my voice, and they still are.

Fashion for me is about communicating who you are and who you want to be. Every fashionista worth their Manolo shoes will have an icon that inspires them and will be looking way beyond their bejeweled lashes and into the future. Fashion is a forward motion that squeezes the best bits out of culture, politics, economics, philosophy, and music and morphs it into garments. Wow — this all sounds a bit serious. What happened to the playful, outrageous and totally freaky fashion moments? I am coming to these!

This year I have been to some incredible red carpets and the DJ for some unforgettable fashion parties. However, the GRAMMY Awards has a certain uniqueness. It is a celebration of both iconic and breaking artists in equal measure. I love to see the latest stars take their first walk in that dress as much as I like to see an icon wear that egg! For me, music and fashion are inexplicably linked — ultimately, they are both forms of self-expression. For example, at the 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards in 2011, Florence & The Machine's Florence Welch (and her über quirky stylist) totally knocked me sideways with a swan-style Givenchy Haute Couture dress, and Katy Perry charmed the paparazzi with her Armani and Swarovski Crystal floor-sweeper (matching with her grandma, of course).

Last year's awards set the fashion stakes high. I am excited to see what styles, dresses (and inanimate objects) the 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards will bring on Feb. 12, 2012, and, most importantly, see our favorite stars tell us who they are in one visual statement.

News

Hip-Hop's Recipe Evolves In 2012

The essence of hip-hop can be harnessed in the music of artists whose careers have spanned decades or concentrated in 16 hot bars of ill lyrics by a new artist. In 2012 we witnessed the evolution of hip-hop embrace the good, the bad and the rawness that forever remains in the DNA of the genre.

This year, hip-hop shined on each coast and all points in between. Hip-hop's favorite son, Nas, Compton, Calif., newcomer Kendrick Lamar, Mississippi native Big K.R.I.T., and wild child Nicki Minaj dropped some of the biggest rap albums of the year. In 2012 rap illustrated how its prowess reaches every corner of the globe while still being nestled in the hearts of old-school heads and new-school apprentices.

Nearly two decades after releasing Illmatic, Nas flexed his longevity with Life Is Good, which offered one of the most poignant rap songs of 2012, "Daughters," with an assist from GRAMMY-winning producer No I.D. Lamar embodied youthful bliss in the California sky with the Dr. Dre-blessed "The Recipe." This infectious West Coast anthem has one of the tightest samples (Twin Sister's "Meet The Frownies") over a pulsating beat, making for a combination that has been on repeat on my iPod.

Minaj's Pink Friday pushed boundaries with a strong, in-your-face delivery that demands listeners to take notice of her in this male-dominated genre. Lupe Fiasco challenged the rap game on and off the mic with Food & Liquor II, an introspective collection of rap songs indicative of his antiestablishment views.

Rap's evolution continued with the golden era's Q-Tip signing to GRAMMY winner Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music label. This newly formed bond is poised to propel the genre further given these two artistic minds have already individually altered the rap landscape. While this collaboration surely marks a highlight in 2012 and beyond, rap experienced the dimming of its light with the untimely passing of one of the genre's business pioneers, Chris Lighty.

Whether you like the political assertions of Fiasco and Killer Mike or the club-tastic rumblings of Minaj, the Weeknd or West, 2012 delivered an intense flow of lyrics, beats, rhymes, vision, and culture.

Some of the content on this site expresses viewpoints and opinions that are not those of The Recording Academy. Responsibility for the accuracy of information provided in stories not written by or specifically prepared for The Academy lies with the story's original source or writer. Content on this site does not reflect an endorsement or recommendation of any artist or music by The Recording Academy. BELIEVE IN MUSIC is a trademark and/or registered trademark of National Association of Music Merchants, Inc. Used under license.